Finding a Cure for Ailing Financial Reports

Maxim Healthcare Services, Inc.

Customer Snapshot:Overview

Paying 27,000 caregivers without errors or delays

With weekly financial reports and payroll commitment to more than 27,000 caregivers and 1,500 commissioned salespeople, recruiters, and field managers, Maxim Healthcare Services needed to replace their complicated and inefficient reporting and reconciliation processes. With the help of Aster Group, a leading business and technology services firm, Maxim eliminated manual processes and gained critical insight from analytics, by implementing SAP Business Planning and Business Consolidation (SAP BPC) software.

1992

1993

1996

Maxim (later Maxim Health Systems) launched their flu and wellness program and earned accreditation from the Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO).

2000-2009

Maxim launched, spun off, and acquired ten different companies to diversify offerings and meet the demands of customers.

2010

Maxim Charitable Foundation was founded.

The Challenge

Waking Up from a Spreadsheet Nightmare

Like many companies that have grown through mergers and acquisitions, Maxim Healthcare Services found themselves trying to integrate heterogeneous legacy systems for many critical processes, including payroll, billing, and accounts receivable.

The company was relying on a process largely supported by Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, emailed from more than 400 branch offices in 46 states. Simultaneously confusing, time consuming and redundant, the process also risked data errors.

Accounting personnel routinely copied payroll and sales information into one set of spreadsheets, printed them out, made handwritten notes and adjustments, and compiled them into a final spreadsheet for reporting. They performed this task weekly for accounts payable, wages for more than 27,000 caregivers, plus commissions for 1,500 field managers, salespeople, and recruiters.

Enter SAP

Powerful New Concepts Users Could Embrace

While attending a technology briefing at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, Maxim executives learned about the concept of corporate performance management (CPM). During discussions about their cumbersome accounting processes with Microsoft, Maxim learned about the benefits of SAP Business Planning & Consolidation.

Maxim was attracted immediately to the software’s multi-dimensional reporting, analytic capabilities, user dashboards, and executive views. Furthermore, the familiarity and flexibility of an Excel front-end was expected to support a rapid implementation and drive user adoption.

Enter SAP:The SAP Experience

Customized Implementation

Aster Group, a consultancy that specializes in SAP BPC applications, first analyzed Maxim’s existing processes and then created a custom data repository and reporting solution in SAP BPC. With the software, Maxim controllers now have complete command of the review, verification, and approval of weekly numbers, and executives have real-time visibility into company performance.

Better Business

Making it Feel Easy on the Front-End

Following the implementation of SAP BPC, the elimination of duplicated efforts and manual workarounds has helped shorten the time it takes to prepare weekly reports by 1.5 days, while improving data accuracy and integrity.

The ease of implementation and the familiar Excel user interface has also accelerated adoption of the SAP BPC solution.

Better Business:Benefits

Quantifiably Easier, Faster, and More Accurate

Maxim estimates that they started to realize the following immediate benefits:

Saving up to 80 worker-hours a week on financial reports

Delivering final reports up to 1.5 days faster

Reduced errors in payroll and payment processing

Better Business:Run Simple

Better Acquisition Facilitation

Currently, Maxim is expanding their use of SAP BPC to other functions within the company. Maxim’s mergers and acquisitions (M&A) team has been incorporating financial data from companies they have acquired into the weekly reporting systems. The process facilitates the transition and integration of new companies into Maxim by making the process simpler and more transparent.

Journey Ahead

Being Proactive Instead of Reactive

Maxim is committed to the satisfaction and productivity of their employees. Having a single platform for the company’s data helps accountants, controllers, and other financial personnel be proactive instead of reactive. Furthermore, working with Aster Group and SAP, Maxim has established a data repository and reporting solution to meet future needs, and will continue to look for ways SAP BPC can solve business issues as the company evolves.